Discover The Web's Absolute Best

Top 10 Must-Have Video Games: Holiday Season 2012

Trying to follow a $67 billion video game industry is not an easy task. This is the only guide you’ll ever need for a clear and unbiased reviews of all the newest and most exciting video games the market has to offer.

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Wii U?

Before you run and buy a video game as a Christmas present for your teen aged boy (or Immature Boyfriend… or Infantile Husband… ) you must stop for a second and ponder which video game console do they have? Each console has it’s distinguished video games titles ( and some games are good for all the brands…). Purchasing a video game that your loved one can’t play is brutal, so though the surprise will be ruined, ask them! Better safe then sorry. If you plan to accompany the video game with a brand new console though, here is a link that will help you decide which brand will meet your goals.

Alpha Male Games

Aggression is something that has to be channeled. The good people of the gaming industry are constantly happy to provide us with ways to express our dark desires in creative ways. These are our top three high tempo action games, one for each timeline period: Future, Present and past. What is your weapon of choice?

Halo is one of the world’s most popular action games, and is xBox360’s best seller since it was first lunched on 2001. On this long-awaited release the fate of the universe lies again on the muscular shoulders of Master Chief, the ultimate green-armored soldier, who wakes from his icing to find out that since the last time he was summoned to save the world, things actually got worse. If you always wished you could fight alongside other Spartans or fly a Pelican, on Halo 4 you will have the chance. Non-stop action, gorgeous graphics, awesome game-play and lots of new exciting features makes Halo 4 a must for this year’s wishlist of any xBox360 owner.

Much like it’s predecessors, Call of Duty: Black Ops II has a familiar campaign of realistic and current special forces gaming. Still, the COD team was not too over confident with the games past success and worked hard in delivering great new features such as squad-based strategy missions and a plotline that branches according to a few key decisions, more customization options than ever before and a nice twist with the Zombie Mode feature that allows up to four players to engage a series of maps in which the main objective is to survive against the undead horde. COD Black Ops II can be played on most consoles and always guarantees a good time, especially in it’s online multiplayer mode.

After three long years of anticipation Assassin’s Creed 3 is finally here and as we discovered, was worth the wait. You will join Connor, a half Native Indian – half British Assassin, back in the time when the American Revolution took place. Using various 18th century weaponry such as your default Native Indian Tomahawk, bow and arrow, the most inventive rope dart and more to eliminate all those who stand in your people’s road to happiness… On Assassin’s Creed 3 Connor can take control of a ship and take on his enemies on the high-seas, run through the trees plus you will find a useful tutorial system that will help you get started and then improve on the areas where you’re weakest. The game has both great and vast game plots along with the Assassin’s Creed’s famous multiplayer mode and is good for all the consoles including the WiiU.

Sports All Stars!

Aside from killing things, sports games are ever popular for gamers of all ages. Due to the fact that preferred sports are a subjective issue, we chose our (or should I say my…:) ) personal favorites. All My Faves proudly presents, Our All Stars:

Madden NFL 13 is the ultimate Football game. Year after year the EA Sports manage to reinvent Football gaming and this year’s version has topped all of it’s predecessors. EA simplified the games interface, introducing a one hub screen that shows you how many players are online and provides you with quick access to your communities and game careers. With great features such as receiver icons that change depending on the player’s regard, new pass trajectories so you can put the ball out in front or just above the receiver and more. The most significant innovation is the Infinity Engine which adds physics to Madden for the first time. The Infinity Engine makes every hit a little bit different so every tackle is a bit different, bodies colliding in a mid air move etc. The result is the most realistic Madden so far. Get it!

Putting aside Marketing gimmicks like Justin Bieber’s part of the celebrity team and the fact that Jay Z is it’s executive producer, NBA 2k13 is without a question the best Basketball video game on the market. Aside from the usual NBA 2k amazing graphics this one has a new and improved right thumbstick-based Dribble Stick that allows you to make some awesome ankle breaker moves. The MyPlayer feature has taken on a slightly more personal, RPG-like role, where your custom baller participates in the rookie game, engages in inner team politics and address the media. Most importantly you can finally find out which team has the upper hand: the 2012 gold medal-winning Team USA basketball squad or the original 1992 Dream Team. On top of everything, if you have a Xbox 360 console, the NBA 2k13 Kinect voice support is awesome, allowing you to call your substitutions off the bench with a simple command.

With Soccer’s popularity soaring in the U.S it’s video games are permanent residents on the bestsellers lists.FIFA Soccer 13 is an addictive, fun and skillful game that will offer you a lot of joy and challenge. Though this years version isnt as inovative as the one last year, there still is a long list of improvements such as enhanced physics, better AI (both offensively and defensively), player physicality, a better defending system, a tweaked Ultimate Team mode, a new Skill Games mode and more. The most notable improvement is in the dribbling system, which have been inspired by the work done on FIFA Street, allowing you to swirl the ball around a player’s feet, tease defenders and humiliate your opponents. Also they added skill games that makes the loading screens an enjoyable place to be. EA even added funny new contextual animations like players recovering from challenges and react in situations as they would in real life and the result is the best Soccer game around.

Other stuff…

Believe it or not, video games has more to offer then first-person killing actions games and sports… Closing our list are the most notable of these bunch, enjoy!

If driving, racing, and eluding the police sounds to you like a fun way to spend the holidays, Need for Speed Most Wanted is the game for you. The game is brilliantly executed with high quality graphics and realistic affects such as getting sun blinded when you emerge a tunnel and flecks of dirt that cling the screen when you are going off road, and generally great looking surrounding graphics. your goal is to become the most notorious illegal race driver in the city. On your way toward becoming infamous you need to break the law as much as you can by setting off speed cameras, bursting through billboards, evading the police and off course, entering street races. By being a bad donkey (the British term…) you score Speed Points that allows you to upgrade your cars. Your heat level determines just how much effort the police are putting into bringing you down, with faster cars and even call in SWAT teams to get you.Need for Speed Most Wanted is a fun, up tempo and accelerating game that will keep your adrenalin level high.

As a big Tolkien fan I was thrilled to hear about their latest game: LEGO Lord of the Rings.The game is based on Peter Jackson’s successful film trilogy and every dialogue and strand of music on the game is taken from it. The game is great fun for the film’s fans but will also appeal to others who likes games with exploration, collection, lots of combat and puzzle-solving. The game was made for kids and is not very challenging but the interface is extremely well designed, offering an interactive guided tour through three incredible films and relives all of the most memorable moments from them. Relive the epic moments like the swarming mass of orcs at Helm’s Deep and Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog in a mix of Tolkien’s vast and amazing Middle-Earth and LEGO’s cute playfulness. It might not be the best video game out there but it’s definitely my favorite this year.

It’s almost a modern tradition to welcome Christmas with a new Mario game… This year, Nintendo introduces the New Super Mario Bros. U as it’s first version of Mario designed for their Wii U and its multiple screens. The general feeling of it is that this time they really manages to capture the sense of carefree adventure of the old Mario games, the game contains a significant amount of challenge, both within its story mode and outside of it. You can really feel that the design team regards Super Mario World with as much affection as those of us who grew up with it. With nice features like collectable items, roaming enemies that must be defeated, secret items, alternate paths and extreme boss fights that occur within their own context, New Super Mario Bros. U is bound to provide you with good time. If you wish to test your ability, the Challenge Mode is the place for you: It places you on narrow platforms with enemies hurling projectiles at you, simply seeing how long you can survive, forces you to traverse an entire level without killing an enemy, not touching the ground and more. So do you need more encouraging? A New Super Mario Bros. awaits, go get it!

Writing a video games blog, I couldn’t ignore the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria release. WoW is a phenomenon, it broke all selling records and redefined online gaming worldwide, so when an expansion is released its worth a review! Nice features like an added Monk class that can be played as a tank, damage dealer or healer, the ancient China themed continent of Pandaria and the Pandaren race, participating in pet battles (an optional Monsuno-like combat system), Mounted quests and most importantly: you can level up to level 90! Four dungeons unlock as you level up from 85, with big fights engaging towering bosses who exhibit unique attack patterns and challenge modes for Pandaria’s dungeons, where groups can race to knock down bosses and post clear times to online leaderboards and claim rewards. Blizzard included Scenarios, a more forgiving type of instanced content built for three players. The PvP is as always on WoW, exquisite.Mists of Pandaria‘s PvP is expanded with two Battlegrounds, both of which feature well-designed game modes that feel very different and provide plenty of tactical depth.

Our Part is Done!

Now its your turn! You have a list to select from, all that is left is for you is to decide which of the games we suggested is most suited for your loved ones… And if you will treat yourselves with a game or two, we promise not to tell anyone… enjoy!